President Obama Heckled as Antichrist at House of Blues

By ABC NewsSeptember 27, 2011

ABC News’ Mary Bruce and Jennifer Harrison report:

Speaking at a campaign fundraiser at the House of Blues in L.A. tonight, President Obama was interrupted by a heckler shouting “Jesus Christ is God!” repeatedly as he was physically removed from the event.

As the young man shouted from the front row that the president was an antichrist, Obama’s loyal supporters drowned out the heckler’s rant with boos and chants of “Four more years! Four more years!”

While Obama initially looked befuddled – the heckler interrupted him before he even finished delivering his thank-yous at the top of his remarks – the president ultimately laughed it off. “First of all, I agree that Jesus Christ is the lord. I believe in that,” Obama jokingly responded to the tirade.

Later in the event, another far more friendly heckler shouted, “Don’t forget medical marijuana!” as Obama touted health care reform.

“Thank you for that,” the president responded.

That man was allowed to remain in the event.

Once the interruptions subsided, the president got down to business selling the American Jobs Act, the $447 billion proposal that has become the cornerstone of his re-election campaign in recent weeks, and positioning himself as a warrior for the middle class.

“We’re in this together and the question is: How do we make sure we’re going to be creating the same kind of America that allows the next generation to succeed?” he told the roughly 1,000 supporters who each paid $250 or more for a ticket. “So we’ve got to make some choices and we’ve got to decide what are we willing to pay for and make sure that those of us who’ve benefitted the most, that we’re giving something back.”

Promoting his deficit-reduction plan, the president argued for tax reform and the need for the nation’s wealthy to pay their “fair share.”

“Republicans are going around talking about, ‘Well that’s class warfare,’” Obama told the rowdy crowd. “You know what, if asking as billionaire to pay the same tax rate as a plumber is class warfare, then sign me up! I’ll wear that charge as a badge of honor. The only warfare I’ve seen waged is against the middle class.”

Notably absent from the president’s sixth fundraiser over the past two days were any attacks on his Republican rivals for the presidency. Instead, Obama spoke generally about the fight ahead, urging his supporters to have faith that he can lead the nation to a better future because, “We’ve got a lot more to do.”

“I know that over the last two and half years you’ve gotten tired,” he said. “I know sometimes you’ve gotten discouraged. I know that! I know it’s been tough. … But look, here’s the thing, I never promised you easy. If you wanted easy you wouldn’t have campaigned for Barack Hussein Obama.

“What I promised was that there was a vision of America out there that we believed in,” he said. “What I promised was that if we worked hard, we could achieve that vision.”